Study plan for first timer

Hi,

To raise your score from a 560 to 700+ would require a lot of dedication. We here at examPAL recommend, for non native English speakers to take at least 12 weeks to prepare with 150 study hours within this time period. For native English speakers we recommend 6-8 weeks with 120 study hours. I would also recommend taking an online course, this way you feel comfortable taking the test come test day.

With examPAL's Free Account you have direct access to all of the Introductions and Lessons that we offer at examPAL. When you upgrade your account it gives you access to the most important part of examPAL: the Practice system which studies the way you think and adapts practice and solutions to your own way of thinking. Our system finds the best next question to improve your abilities and, based and your strengths and weaknesses, offer you the fastest way - for you - to solve each question.

Note: That since our system studies the way you think and adapts practice questions and solutions to your way of thinking we save you time and focus your efforts where they have the most impact on your score

I wish you the best of luck!

Hi dmblitz23,

Just to confirm, did you take the FULL CAT under realistic conditions? I ask because unless you're finishing the sections considerably 'early', you should have spent closer to 3.5 or 4 hours on that CAT (and not under 3 hours). These details are important; Test Day is a specific 'event' and you have to properly train to face that exact event if you want to hit your Score Goal.

Since you're not planning to apply to Business School for some time, you're not facing an immediate deadline, so you can approach your studies however you like. If you'd like to be 'efficient' with this process, then you'd likely find it beneficial to invest in a GMAT Course of some type (either Guided Self-Study or instructor-led). Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at our website (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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Good Luck

Thanks!

Hi dmblitz23,

Welcome to GMATCLUB! 3 months is good enough to improve your score. It’s a good thing you have taken your GMATPREP once. You now know your weaknesses and work on them. If you are willing to study dedicatedly for Three months, you are sure to achieve your goal. I believe you may benefit from taking a GMATPREP course. If you are willing, there are some great GMAT prep companies that can help you with your preparation.

In order to make an informed decision I would highly encourage you to go to their websites and try on their free trial and decide for yourself which one do you like better. You try out free access to EmpowerGMAT, Magoosh and Optimus Prep as they have great reviews on GMATCLUB.

Also for verbal, I would highly encourage you to consider e-gmat verbal online or the e-gmat verbal live course. They are both amazing courses especially designed for non-natives. They offer almost 25% of their courses for free so you can try out their free trial to decide which one you want to go for. Plus the e-gmat Scholaranium which is included in both the courses is one of the best verbal practice tools in the market. You can easily track your progress in that you can identify your strengths and analyze and improve on your weak areas.

You can also try out the MGMAT guides they are phenomenal and cover the entire syllabus really well. I must add that if you are particularly looking to discover and improve on your weak areas in Quant; a subscription to GMATCLUB tests is the best way to do that. They are indeed phenomenal and will not only pinpoint your weak areas but also help you improve on them.

Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

Further, I would also encourage you to purchase the latest version of OG and the verbal review for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... 68383.html

Lastly, you can check out a very interesting article by Mike McGarry from Magoosh detailing a 3 month study plan

https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-g ... -students/. You will find it very helpful as it gives out a study plan as per your needs.

Hope this helps. All the best.

Hi
First of all, a score of 550 on Gmatprep test without any preparation is very good.
I would suggest to try self study first. You can subscribe to the Gmatclub self study plan as it provides proper theory as well as practice.
Also, purchase the MGMAT guides as these are essential for building a solid foundation.
The Official Guide is also a must for practice. Then you are ready to have a go.

Another free GMAT resource: GMAT Mentors, Non-profit facilitating free 1-on-1 GMAT support

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Within a short period of time we’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback and have connected people in countries all over the world such as Germany, Netherlands, and India! We are growing very rapidly and are always looking for new mentees and mentors.

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We hope to hear from you soon!

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Thanks a lot for the detailed advice. I am currently working my way through the MGMAT guides and solving questions from the OG. I feel my basics are strong but I end up making very sillly mistakes such as simple multiplication in a hurry. Should I stop timing my practice so that I can weed these errors out? Thanks again.

Thanks for the reply. I am currently doing self study and working through the MGMAT guides.